Sun 15 May 2011 19.01 EDT
First published on Sun 15 May 2011 19.01 EDT

Geologist Jan Zalasiewicz from the University of Leicester explains his idea that humans may have changed the planet so much since the industrial revolution we've started a whole new geological era.

Science writer Carl Zimmer asks this week's Hannaford question: the question he would most like answered by science.

We also hear from the author of Mind Wars, philosopher Jonathan Moreno at the University of Pennsylvania about the ethical implications of using neuroscience in security activities and military research.

In interrogations, could the highly controversial technique of waterboarding be replaced with an injection of a neurochemical like oxytocin?

What would it mean if soldiers were to have their ability to form emotional memories blocked before going into battle to minimise the psychological after-effects of combat? How do you weigh the potential to prevent a lifetime of post-traumatic stress in former soldiers against the possibility of a generation of veterans returning home without any guilt or regrets about what they might have done?